The Aftermath.
Let’s start with the end in sight.
Long after the cake has been cut. The DJ has played the final request and the lights have gone down in your Reception Hall of choice, Professional Wedding Photography offers you something unlike any other Service that you’ll hire and retain of your Big Day.
In short a true sense of longevity! Wedding Photography may very well be the final word in the end documentation of your Big Day. Or perhaps your Pre Wedding Photoshoot that led up to your Wedding. As a tangible society we still hold onto our Wedding Albums. Our Wedding Invitations and yes, those fancy little Thank You cards that we send out once the Big Show has rapped up for that once in a lifetime Event.
But what in fact makes Wedding Photography so expensive? What factors lead up to the final Invoice that in many cases must be paid before you even walk down that Isle. Some of the contributing results may not always be as tangible as holding a Wedding Album in your hands but they are in fact just as critically important as picking out the embossing on that fancy and expensive Wedding Album your Children and your Grandchildren will hold in their hands when they want to relive the beauty and magic of your past Wedding.
High End Equipment For High End Results!
You need speed? You buy a high end car. That’s the same with Professional Photography Toronto. If you want great photos you buy the right equipment to produce the same. If Professional Wedding Photography was easy, everyone and their Brother would be doing it. But the actual start up costs in Wedding Photography is rather expensive to say the least.
Professional Canon Camera bodies and their accompanying lenses are enough to shake even the most frugal man to his knees. On average a Canon 5D Mark camera body will run you 5K to start. Two or three basic/mandatory lenses will run you another 6K dollars. But without such hefty investments your Toronto Wedding Photographer might as well be a spectator with a Smartphone sitting in your gallery of Guests. The results of such an investment are simply night and day.
Secondary operational costs will also include yearly Subscriptions to both professional Online Software Suites such as Adobe Photoshop. Gallery/Image hosting services. Maintaining a state of the art computer Graphic Stations and yearly maintenance costs.
And last but not least, Album and Photobooks production costs. On average a simple Photobook can run you a even $100.00 to produce. A designed and finished Wedding Album $400.00 or more. But the end results validate the same. So as you can see there is a lot that goes into ensuring your Wedding Shoot is a thing of beauty. Not just an Amateur hack and slash effort. After all it’s your Wedding memories. You want them to be perfect right!
Professional Wedding Photography Is Considered A 'Luxury' Investment.
Albeit anyone can get married with a simple Government Marriage License and a tasteful Reception to follow, good Wedding Photography is still considered a ‘Luxury Investment.
As Wedding Photographers we’re expected to know how to make our way around the dance floor. Where to stand in anticipation of your Wedding Vows. Know and understand the demands of Toronto’s multicultural Religious Services and just know how not to piss off your Priest or Celebrant. In short we’re a group of educated Observers who are tasked with producing superior results without running afoul of your Church or Clergy.
Again do you want a thoroughbred doing the job or an Amateur who has never photographed a Wedding before in his or her life. Bestbuy Photographer need not apply for this job. And no offense intended for your dear old Uncle Henry who might have taken one or two good shots in his lifetime but a young Couples’ Wedding is not something to gamble with one such an important day!
A Unique Education.
While it might be more affordable to go with Uncle Henry to photograph your Wedding, it might not be the wisest decision at the end of the day.
As any Professional in his/her’s chosen Field, a proper Education is a never ending survival skill to ensure that we as Professional Photographers consistently produce both a unique Service and Product to keep our Customer’s happy. I couldn’t imagine an Amateur walking into my Daughter’s Wedding only half cocked with no idea of how to work a powerful camera without knowing the first thing about Professional Wedding Photography.
A Photographer's Time.
Even the best Wedding Photographers in the World always seem to be short of this valuable commodity. And don’t we all wish we all had more of it.
You’ve met your Photographer at least once or twice prior to your Wedding or your Family Photography Session. Yet the time you see them on the floor at your Church, Synagog or Temple is only a fraction of the time they actually spend invested in your Project. Roughly every hour spent at your Wedding or Portrait Shoot is followed by an hour and a half of photo editing as we prep, color grade and properly crop and light your images. As Professionals we shouldn’t be handing you a blurry or dark image. You expect better of us and so you should!
52 Weeks In A Year.
As in any Profession, Professional Wedding Photography moves in cycles.
You’ve got your Wedding Season which runs roughly between late February to late September. The remainder of the Year may be Shooting Family Portraits, Christenings or Baptisms.
On occasion a Wedding Photographer may take on additional Commercial photo shoot session. Now add into the mix the number of other Professional Photographers in a City such as Toronto. All of them competing for a stable, continued sense of income to pay their Mortgages, car loans or their kid’s College or University education. Such limited opportunities in such a big City as Toronto does seem to keep quality Photography Services and fees much higher then it should be. Unfortunate but it’s the truth.
Accreditation.
You wouldn’t take your car to an unlicensed Mechanic. Nor would you allow an unlicensed Plumber into your home to look after a bust pipe in your bathroom wall. Why would you retain a Wedding Photographer in Toronto who is supposed to be ready to produce such wonderful Wedding photos of your Big Day without some sense of comfort that your Photographer can meet such a litmus test and is both proven and capable of doing the same.
Professional accreditation goes a long way in many respects. You’ve worked hard for your money. Don’t just trust one of the biggest days in your life to an Amature.
In Summary.
Professional Wedding Photography prices is expensive. Wedding Photography Packages are expensive but within reason for the assurances you will receive. Your making a major investment in your Wedding and you should expect the best for your money. The factors outlined above would most certainly indicate the cost and expenses of having a Professional on the floor during your Wedding but the same are also a valid stop gap to ensure that your also receiving the best possible care that your chosen Toronto Wedding Photographer can bring to the table.
Albeit Wedding Photography costs may be higher then what one would expect, you can rest assured credible Wedding Photographers in Toronto have got your back. We’ve trained and readied ourselves for your Big Day!
Blair is a Toronto based Wedding & Portrait Photographer who lives his life through the lens one frame at a time. Always chasing that perfect image whether it’s a beautiful afternoon Wedding or a long overdue Family Portrait Session.
He is a free spirited Creative who is truly invested in savings his Customer’s their hard earned cash in an already over priced Toronto Wedding Industry. His motto in life is really quite simple. Grab life by the horns and enjoy. Our time on this Big Blue Marble we call Planet Earth is short enough!
Hence his approach to Professional Photography. Do a great job for your Customer and you’ve accomplished something in Life. Life is just too short to be sitting on the sidelines and waiting for that perfect opportunity to dance!
